- Theoretical linguistics deals with the scientific structure of language, including grammar, syntax, morphology and semantics. It attempts to explain language according to a set of rules or theories.
- Descriptive linguistics analyzes the use of language within society, tracking language changes over time and the use of languages around the world. For example, a descriptive linguist might pose the question "How has the English language evolved since the time of Shakespeare?"
- Applied linguistics is the largest field of linguistics today, encompassing psychological, social and anthropological linguistics. Applied linguistics tends to be more science-based and generally practical, involving areas such as studying child development, drafting copyright laws or conducting an interrogation.
- Computational linguistics represents the convergence of technology and natural language. A computational linguist may develop online or digital translators and speech recognition devices.
- Comparative linguistics is the study of the relationships between two or more languages and the investigation of whether the languages have a common ancestor.
